Dutch chartering company Transito has launched Total Freight, a new service combining sea freight and inland shipping under one contract, as low water and other disruptions continue to complicate cargo movements between European seaports and the hinterland.

The service covers the sea voyage, port handling, transhipment and onward transport by inland vessel. Shippers receive one price per tonne, one contract and one invoice for the entire movement. Within an agreed range, Transito also takes waiting time between the seagoing vessel and the inland vessel on its own account.

The service addresses a problem familiar to shippers moving dry cargo from Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Poland and northern Spain into the German and Dutch hinterland. Such shipments can involve four separate contracts. When low water, port congestion, vessel delays or missing documentation disrupt the connection between the sea and inland legs, the resulting waiting time can fall on the cargo owner.

“A seagoing vessel waits for an inland vessel, an inland vessel waits at the quay, and the terminal waits for paperwork. Those days end up with the cargo owner,” said Bas Weinberg, Management and Business Development at Transito. “We arrange both vessels ourselves, so if one runs late, we move the other with it.”

Sea and inland shipping under one contract

Total Freight is aimed at industrial buyers and mid-sized traders without an in-house freight department, particularly companies shipping agribulk, building materials, fertilisers, minerals, recycling cargo and project cargo. Transito handles the movement from the overseas load port to the quay in the European hinterland.

“The difficult part is often not finding a vessel. It is making sure the seagoing vessel, terminal and inland vessel connect,” Weinberg said. “If something changes at sea, in port or on the river, we can manage that connection rather than leaving the cargo owner to coordinate between different parties.”

Low water can affect vessel loading and schedules, while congestion or delays at sea can also disrupt connections in port. By arranging both shipping legs, Transito can adjust schedules when circumstances change. Total Freight is available in both directions, including cargo moving from the European hinterland to overseas destinations.